Sarah Jane treasures Rosary beads blessed by Pope on Aer Lingus flight

Among the possessions Mullingar woman Sarah Jane Bennett holds most dear is a set of Rosary beads, blessed for her by the late Pope, Francis.

Sarah Jane was part of the Aer Lingus team assigned to look after Pope Francis as he flew back to Rome following his 2018 visit to Ireland. On the flight, she got him to bless the Rosary beads, and they are much in demand by those seeking divine intervention at times of crisis or worry.

“They go out to anyone who is going to hospital, or who is looking to have a baby, or who has any ailment: I pass them on, and then they pass them back to me. They’re a huge part of all my family’s life, they’ve been passed around so much now,” says Sarah Jane.

A native of the Dublin Road – “right opposite the Tobacco Factory” – Sarah-Jane has been with Aer Lingus for 18 years, working on a mix of European and transatlantic flights.

When it was announced Pope Francis would be flying to Ireland for a two-day visit, Sarah-Jane was notified that she would be working on the flight taking him back to Italy from this country.

“It was a big privilege,” she says. “Before we did the flight, we obviously had to go for briefings just to be aware of what was involved.” As well as transporting the Pope, the plane was also transporting a lot of media personnel who had been covering the visit.

Normally, on such a short flight, there is not time to serve a meal, but given that they were carrying such an important guest, there was a meal served, with salmon on the menu.

“We just had to do a lot of prep for it and protocol and what was expected from us,” Jane recalls, going on to add that in a move that was not planned, the Pope indicated that he would like to meet all the staff individually to thank them.

“It was great: that was when I got my moment with him,” says Sarah-Jane.

“The advisors were there and they were conscious that he’d had a long day because he’d been in Phoenix Park that day for the concert, so he was tired – but that didn’t really bother him: the advisors were more worried about him than he was himself. He was so happy just to talk to us,” she recalls.

It was at that point that the Pope blessed Sarah Jane’s Rosary beads for her.

He didn’t have a lot of English, but when Sarah Jane told the Pope she had just got married the year before, he gave a blessing for her family and the two said a prayer together. Despite the language barrier, they even managed to have a giggle together, and he told Sarah Jane he had really enjoyed Ireland.

“Regardless of him not having fluent English, he was still approachable and personable, he was lovely and very kind, and he took his time with all of us,” she continues.

“I can’t remember how many crew were on board that day, I think there were probably six of us on board, but he still took his time with all of us, and the pilots as well.”

The Pope also used the plane’s PA system to speak with and answer questions from the media contingent travelling with him: “The media were thrilled with it, because it was like they had a little audience with them, themselves, and everyone was very respectful, they just listened to him.”

Besides Aer Lingus, Sarah Jane has also worked with Virgin airlines. The job means often coming in contact with celebrities and well-known political figures, but Sarah Jane doesn’t get fazed by that at all.

“At the end of the day, we honestly don’t bother them at all, we just let them enjoy the flight and do everything we can for them.”

Meeting Pope Francis, however, remains a special memory for her.

A Mass will be offered for the repose of Pope Francis in the Cathedral in Mullingar at 7.30pm on Tuesday April 29.